Unions confirms Brussels airline strike is still on, over 3500 reservations cancelled

The management of Brussels Airlines confirmed that the trade unions will not call off their strike on Monday. As a result, half of Brussels Airlines’ Monday flights have been cancelled. Around 3,500 reservations had to be cancelled out of a total of 12,500 travellers.

The three Brussels airline workers’ unions confirmed on Friday that the 24-hour strike would begin at 5:00 a.m. on Monday.

Following this announcement, Brussels Airlines management sent the unions a letter of formal notice of default, urging them to either call off the strike immediately, no later than 11 a.m. on December 17, 2021, or bear the financial burden of the strike, estimated at 2.5 million euros for the cancellation of 116 flights.

The CNE’s Didier Lebbe says that the trade unions are still calling for a strike. “The management letter is absurd and blatant intimidation, and it violates all international norms.” We’ve had a strike notice in place since July, so this action is completely legal.”

An airline representative, Maaike Andries, declined to comment further on the conflict. “All emphasis is placed on the travellers so that Monday is not too chaotic for them,” she remarked at this time.
The pilots and flight attendants were asked who was willing to work and who was not. It still sees some will and anticipates that half of the scheduled flights, virtually all long-haul routes to Africa and North America, as well as their feeder flights, will be preserved.

For some of the 3,500 passengers affected by the cancellations, a solution has already been found, such as a replacement reservation on a Lufthansa Group aircraft. Those weekend, the office team will attempt to find solutions for all travellers who have booked flights for Monday.